Per Aspera Ad Astra
Per Aspera Ad Astra is the 15th and final chapter in Mafia II. Background The mission begins where the game began - with Vito reminiscing in his apartment, looking over his family album, and also narrating that his life isn't what he had expected it to be after living a life of crime and joining the mob. When he wakes up that morning, he gets a phone call from Eddie Scarpa asking him to meet Carlo Falcone at the Zavesky Observatory in Hillwood. But as he exits his house, he finds Leone "Leo" Galante and Triad boss Mr. Chu asking for Vito to take a ride with them in Leo's limo. After getting in the limo, Leo furiously explains that Henry Tomasino really was a "rat" working with the Feds, and this is the reason why Mr. Chu's people killed him and the reason why the Feds were quickly now closing in on Carlo Falcone and the rest of the Mafia. He also explains that Vinci crime family boss Franco "Frank" Vinci and the rest of The Commission want Vito dead and so does Mr. Chu for what he had done. However, as repayment for helping him escape Henry's hit, Leo gives Vito one chance at redemption: kill Carlo Falcone before the Feds arrive. Walkthrough Vito will get out of the car, and will have to find his own way to the planetarium. This is your opportunity to rearm and change outfits. Once Vito is at the planetarium, he will shoot 2 guards, and begin the final showdown. Many men will come down the stairs shooting. Take cover by the concrete planter, and line them all up as quickly so they don't get a chance to spread out. Once they are all dead, make your way up the stairs and take cover on the wall. If you are sure no one is coming, move to the next wall, and so on. Once inside, there will be a sniper on the glass dome above. Shoot him quickly, because he is your main threat. Keep moving up the stairs and outside, but stay alert. Once you're outside, a grenade will thrown near you. Take cover and take out the rest. Move to the right and you will find a door a bit farther away to reach a checkpoint. Walk down the stairs and take cover near the displays. Use common sense, and progress through the building. When you see a large green door, walk through it. There will be a cut-scene, where Carlo is yelling at Vito, and saying Joe knows better and that loyalty is a funny thing. Joe will then hold a pistol to Vito's head. Carlo will go on talking about how stupid Vito was for trusting Henry and blaming Vito for allowing Henry to infiltrate the Falcone crime family. He also tells Vito that he's nothing, and everyone has just been using him the whole time. Joe then whispers to Vito that he is still on his side, and on his mark, they start shooting Carlo's guards. Fight your way through the chairs and get to one of the control panels as soon as you can, also Joe is aiding you. It will not take very long to kill all the guards, leaving Carlo shooting at you from the central projector. Once you've inflicted enough damage, Vito will automatically execute Carlo in a cutscene. (Note: a simple punch combo also works, however in the cutscene Carlo will already have a bullet wound in the stomach) After the cutscence is over, just leave the planetarium with Joe. On the way out, Joe will explain to you that Carlo wanted him to kill you and said Carlo will make him a Caporegime. As you and Joe exit the planetarium, a cutscence will start to play. It will show a group of Vinci's men and Leo waiting outside. Leo will ask if the job was completed. Vito says it is completed as he goes inside the limo with Leo, and Joe will go into another car with two Vinci's men. Another cutscene will play, and it will show the car Joe is in suddenly turning away at an intersection. A dismayed Vito will loudly ask where is his friend being taken off to, and in a soft tone, Leo will reply "Sorry kid. Joe wasn't part of our deal." The final shot of the game is a view of the city from Hillwood. Result Finishing the gunfight at the planetarium will unlock the Family Album in the Extras menu. Completing this mission will earn you the Finish Him achievement/trophy during. Depending on the difficulty, you can also earn the Made Man (Medium or Hard) and Tough Nut (Hard only) trophies as well. Notable deaths *Carlo Falcone, Don of the Falcone crime family, shot by Vito. *Possibly Joe Barbaro, Vito's best friend, by Vinci's hitmen. Trivia *The phrase "per aspera ad astra" translates from Latin to "through adversity to the stars." It references both Vito overcoming the adversity of the gang war he started in the previous missions, as well as the planetarium where most of this mission takes place. It is also the motto of the Royal Air Force. *Presumably the cathouse Leo takes Vito to to celebrate after the mission is not the one seen earlier in the game, as that establishment was owned and run by the Falcone crime family, who's boss Vito has just killed on Leo's orders. *This is the only mission where you can drive and store the Shubert Pickup Hot Rod and Walter Hot Rod without having additional DLC content. External Links Category:Mafia II Category:Gameplay Category:Missions